UPDATE IV:

I stopped reading The Note years ago because it was awash with liberal fantasizing and conspircay theories. Remember when The Note announced it would have to be fairer to Bush’s opponent than to Bush! (sorry no time for the link search). Well The Note asks its readers to check out a tidbit about Italy and the Niger documents in today’s LA Times article:

A spokeswoman said Nicolo Pollari, the agency’s director, asked to be questioned after reports this week in Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper claiming that SISMI sent the CIA and U.S. and British officials information that it knew was forged.

The newspaper reported that Pollari met at the White House on Sept. 9, 2002, with then-deputy national security advisor Stephen J. Hadley. The Niger claims surfaced shortly thereafter. A spokesman for Hadley, now the national security advisor, confirmed that the meeting took place but declined to say what was discussed.

The leftwing is simply going out of their minds in this country! Hadley passed the forged dcouments to Italy’s intelligence to pass to the CIA and Britain???

Folks, the Niger connection just wasn’t that important to the case for war with Iraq. It was much easier to simply point to the MSM’s own arguments pre 9-11! This is truly the silly season in DC.

UPDATE III:

Got this tip from reader ‘sue’ at Tom Maguire’s on some news at ABC The Note:

ABC News’ Jason Ryan has this guidance from a Justice Department official: NO ANNOUNCEMENT FROM FITZGERALD IS EXPECTED TODAY. (Though, it should be Noted, that it is possible that the grand jury could return an indictment today placed under seal — or there could be a myriad of non-announcement developments.)
…
This might or might not be a tea leaf as big as all Rancho Cucamonga: Roll Call’s Mary Ann Akers, in the only scoop of the cycle, hears that Fitzgerald paid a visit to Patton Boggs yesterday to see Karl Rove’s attorney Robert Luskin. Akers says the hallways of the firm were abuzz with rumors that Fitzgerald will have to ask for an extension on the investigation.
…
Please don’t be surprised if the grand jury is extended, if there are many people indicted, if no one is indicted, or if indictments are issued under seal.

You have permission to be surprised if a constitutional officer is formally listed as an un-indicted co-conspirator.

You have permission to be surprised if the word “forgeries” appears in any indictment.

Brace for pompous analyses galore of how wrong the coverage was — perhaps more off-the-mark than the run-up to Justice Clement, er, Roberts.

My take – Fitztgerald is having issues with late breaking details. Not sure why he needs an extension. The fact the media may have got this all wrong is not a surprise to me, and good news for us contrarians in the blogosphere. The Niger Forgeries point to the Wilsons – no one else. If Cheney is sited as an un-indicted c0-conspirator watch Fitzgerald’s career go up in a puff of smoke. You either indict or not at this level of the game.

END UPDATE

MAJOR UPDATE:

Here is Tom Maguire’s speculation on what will happen. Are his predicts on Trade Sports??

I have not decided to make any predictions yet. My problem is I am analytical so I can see how things should/could turn out. But as the Jedi say, emotion is always the future. What Fitzgerald should do is clear – either no indictments or go after the CIA leakers and liars, with Wilson. As I said here, indicting those who tell the truth to those who lie would ruin our legal system for years to come.

END UPDATE

Not that I have any clue what it means – but the Fitzgerald started meeting with the Grand Jury this morning at 0900 EST:

Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald met Wednesday with the grand jury investigating the leak of a CIA officer’s identity, looking to put finishing touches on a two-year criminal probe that has ensnared two senior White House aides.

Fitzgerald and the grand jurors entered the courthouse around 9 a.m. EDT, with just three days left before the jury’s term is set to expire. Away from the jury, FBI agents conducted a handful of last-minute interviews to check facts key to the case.

Why the FBI is out doing interviews is strange. It indicates to me Fitzgerald is worried about an aspect of the case or he is trying to put pressure on someone to cop a plea. ‘Mary Mapes (gotta love these monikers people pick) notes in a comment on this post that the same ‘neighbor’ keeps coming out claiming ignorance for the same LA Times writer…

Wonder if the neighbor works with Valerie in the CIA!

Anyway. I will add more to this post as I find it. Have a great day folks.

UPDATE:

CNN has a running log of inputs from their reporters here, with these tidbits:

CNN’s Dana Bash reports that Fitzgerald continued to gather information Tuesday, as the investigation is nearing an apex with the grand jury set to expire on Friday. Citing a source familiar with the conversation, Bash said that Fitzgerald’s team talked to a former White House official to try and ascertain more about Rove’s role in the matter. There is also speculation that an announcement of indictments might not occur until later in the week.

If correct that gives us some idea of timing. And the parties are readying their responses:

Once Fitzgerald makes his findings public, Democrats and Republicans will immediately activate competing political messaging efforts to try and shape public opinion on the matter.

Several Republicans, though, insist that Fitzgerald will not be criticized by Republicans should he seek charges against Rove or Libby.

“It is a very serious matter, and he hasn’t approached this in a partisan way,” a senior Republican aide told the Grind this morning. “I think you will see everyone in the party handle it in a very professional respectful manner.”

Since the democrats at left have already gone overboard, I expect them to jump the shark with the American people pretty much no matter how this comes out. No indictments they will be furious, indictments against one or more WH aids and they’ll call for impeachment. It will be ugly on the left.

And ever the opportunist, Kerry is ready to lurch out in front of the cameras and make a fool of himself – again

As Republicans prepare for Fitzgerald’s announcement, Sen. John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) will deliver what is being billed by his office as a “major policy speech on Iraq” today at Georgetown University. Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2004, is expected to address the Plame leak case in his remarks but won’t single out any one person in particular.

Anyone want to lay bets he will call for surrender in Iraq again, now that we have democratically elected government and ally there it is a perfect time to cut and run.

“We don’t yet know whether this will be an indictable offense in a court of law,” Kerry is expected to say according to an early draft of his speech provided to the Grind. “But for misleading a nation into war, they will be indicted in the high court of history.”

We have this sticker in our house I see every morning “I voted for Kerry, before I voted against him’. Why is it Bush’s fault he is so easily confused? And what makes hiim think the rest of us are as bad off as he is?

A few more nuggets from the Washington Post today:

With Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald in Washington yesterday, lawyers in the case and some White House officials braced for at least one indictment when the grand jury meets today.

Yeah, but they would be bracing for the news whether that indictment was against them or someone in the CIA. [Note: I, like many of you, wish Mac Ranger was back up and running so we could get some sense of what was happening in the CIA. Wilma’s timing and target sucked. Be safe Mac Ranger – and find an internet cafe!]

And then there is this:

In a possible sign that Fitzgerald may seek to charge one or more officials with illegally disclosing Valerie Plame’s CIA affiliation, FBI agents as recently as Monday night interviewed at least two people in her D.C. neighborhood.

Why only two? Friends trying to cover up how well known Valerie’s employment was are also wide open for perjury and obstruction charges. And if the Wilsons asked a lot of their friends to shade the truth that would bring in the conspiracy charge. Makes more sense in that case then the WH discussing the big news of the day and working with reporters!

An ironic historical note

But officials are bracing for the kind of political tsunami that swamped Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan in their second terms and could change this presidency’s course.

Yep, and the country rallied behind both men and they never had low public support polls again. And more tidbits supporting Rove and Libby

Two lawyers involved in the case said that, based on Fitzgerald’s earlier questions, the prosecutor has been aware of Libby’s June 12 conversation with Cheney since the early days of his investigation. The lawyers said Libby recorded in his notes that Cheney relayed to him that Wilson’s wife may have had a role in Wilson taking the CIA-sponsored mission to Niger. According to a source familiar with Libby’s testimony, Libby told the grand jury he believed he heard of Wilson’s wife first from reporters.

Liberal journalists are somehow driven to intersperse these contrary facts when they are trying to spin their partisan fantasies. This is near the end of the story so it must really be good for Rove and Libby. 😉

UPDATE II:

FOX News has this AP article and a few more tidbits:

Fitzgerald has been in Washington since Monday and over the last two days dispatched FBI agents to conduct some 11th-hour interviews, according to lawyers close to the investigation, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the secrecy of grand jury proceedings.

One set of interviews occurred in the neighborhood of Bush administration critic Joseph Wilson, whose wife Valerie Plame (search) was outed as an undercover CIA officer. Agents asked neighbors whether they had any inkling that Plame works for the CIA.

“They wanted to know how well we knew her, which is very well,” said neighbor David Tillotson. “Did we know anything about her position before the story broke? Absolutely not.”

Agents also interviewed a former unidentified associate of Rove’s about his activities around the time the leaks occurred.

Two lawyers familiar with the activities said the interviews involved basic fact-checking and did not appear to plow new ground.